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CHAFTER II
METHODOLOGY
Historical Method - steps in HistoricalResearch - Sources - Criticism of data Methodology for the present study Primary sourc es - Secondary Sources Interview -
METHODOLOGY
In order to estimate the contribution of Church
Missionary Society to the progress and development of educa
tion in Kerala, a peep into the past history of education in
the State is quite essential. This is the function of histo
rical research. Hence the historical method has been mainly
used for the study. It is supplemented by 'interview' to
gather more details on some aspects of the investigation.
Historical Method
The word 'history' is of Greek Origin and originally
it meant 'enquiry' or 'investigation'. The word was used to
refer not only to the process of 'enquiry' but also to know
ledge obtained as the result of 'enquiry' into different
human actions and the written account of the sameo 1 It
starts with the past, makes present its sheet a:tl.aho~l' and
points to the future. Allan Nevins defines History as "any
1S.K. Kochar, The Teaching of History, New Delhi: SterlingPublishers Pvt. Ltd., 1978, pol.
25
integrated narrative or description of past events or facts
written in a spirit of critical enquiry for the whole truth".2
In the words of Sukhia "History in any field of enquiry, is
an integrated narrative of the past events, representing a
critical search for the whole truth ". 3 It is the record of
what one age finds worthy of note in another. Historical
approach to the study of any subject denotes an effort to
recount some aspects of past life.
According to MOuly, a Common motive, underlying
historical research, is the simple scholarly desire of the
scientist to arrive at an accurate account of the past. This
may involve nothing more than a scholarly interest in truth. 4
liTo profit from the experiences of the past in the solution
of present day problems justifies the worthwhileness of5historical research tl • A proper understanding of the
historical background would save educationalists from making
the same mistake.
2Allan Nevins, The Gateway to History, Boston DC. Heatand Company, 1938, po22.
3S•P• Sukhia, P.Vo Mehrotra and R.N. Mehrotra. Elementsof Educational Research, Bombay: Second ed. Allied PUblishers,Ltd., 1966, p.165.
4George J. Mouly, The Science of Educational Research,New Delhi: Euresia Publishing House Private Ltd., 1967,p.204.
5S•p • Sukhia, ££.cit., p.166.
26
The foremost purpose of doing historical research is
to gain a clear perspective of the,present. Present problems
are understandable only on the basis of their past. Historical
research can provide us not only with a hypothesis for the
solution of current problems but also with greater apprecia
tion of the culture and the role which education is to play
in the progress of the society.6 Thus historical research
has a clear functional purpose rather than a merely academic
one.
Knight analyses the value of historical research in
education as follows: (1) A knowledge of the history of
schools and other educational agencies is an important part
of the professional training of teachers and school administra
tors. (2) The history of education is the 'Sovereign Solvent'
of educational prejudices. (3) It enables the educational
workers to detect 'fads and frills' in whatever form they appear
and it serves as a necessary preliminary to educational reform.
(4) Only in the light of their origin and growth, can the
numerous educational problems of the present be viewed sypathe-
tically and without bias by the teacher, the school administra
tor and the public. (5) The history of education is an ally to
the scientific study of education. (6) It enables school workers
to avoid the mistakes of the past. (~) It inspires respect for
&George J. Mouly, Q£.£it., p.204.
27
7sound scholarship and reverence for great teachers.
steps in Historical Research
Historical research is qUite different from experi
mental studies. But a historical research worker has to
pass through similar stages such as selecting, stating and
delimiting the problem. The three important steps character
istic of the historical type of research are:
1. Collection of data through primary and secondary sources
2. Internal and external criticism of the data collected.
3. Presentation of facts in a readable form involvingproblems of organization, composition, exposition andinterpretation. 8
In this study, all these steps are followed in order
to make the study objective and precise. Adopting the
historical method, the subject has been properly developed
for the study.
Sources
Historical sources may be broadly classified into two
major categories: (1) Documents (2) Relics. Documents are
7E• N• Knight, quoted by Carter V.Good, A.S.Barr andDouglas E.Scates, Methodology of Etlucational Research. AppletonCentury Crofts Inc. 1954, p.243.
8 S•P• SUkhia,~.£ii. p.168.
29
generally written, whereas relics are archaeological. Docu-/
mentary research is completely based on documents or records.
The crucial aspects of dooumentary research are validating
the data and interpreting its significance. In the present
study, the investigator has made use of a number of important
documents and records as basio sources of data.
Primary and Secondary Sources
The historian's initial step in eValuating the adequacy
of his evidence is to distinguish between primary and secondary
sources. The original documents or remains whiqh are the
first witness of a fact are termed primary sources. They are
sources of data fundamental to historical research, and form
its only solid basis. They may be of different kinds
(A) Consciously transmitted information in the form of oral
or written testimony or records kept and written by actual
participants or witnesses of an event. Constitutions,
charters, court-decisions, official minutes or records,
autobiographies, letters, diaries, deeds, wills, permits,
licenses, declarations, proclamations, certificates, bills,
receipts, magazines, newspaper accounts, advertisements, maps,
diagrams, books, paintings, inscriptions, transcriptions
and research re~orts come under this category. (B) Unconscious
9carter V.Good and Douglas Scates. Methods of Research.New York: Appleton Century Crofts, 1954, p.18G.
29
testimony in the form of remains, language, literature, arts10and institutions of various types, also come under primary
sources.
It is not always possible to obtain primary evidence,
and at times, the historians have to rely on secondary sources.
"The sources of information transmitted by one who was neither
a participant in, nor an eye witness of the original event, . .11are called secondary sources". In other words, in secondary
sources Ita middle man comes in between the original witness
and the present consumer tl •12 Secondary sources are useful, but
they should not be taken as final. In fact while the historian
uses both primary and secondary sources as basis of hypothesis,
he subjects both to regorous tests.
Criticism of Data
The establishment of the validity of the data generally
involves the duel process of internal and external criticism.
"External criticism is concerned with the genuiness of the
document itself, whether it really is what it purports to be
~d whether it reads to the original".13 It is aimed at
10S.P.Sukhia, ~.cit., ~.168.11Ibid .
12George J.MOuly, The Science of Educational ~search,New Delhi: EUrasia Publishing House (Private) Ltd., 1967,p.204.
13Carter, V.Good and Douglus, E.Scates, Methodology ofEducational Research, Appleton:Century Crofts Inc., 1954, p.169.
30
establishing the authenticity or genuineness of the data. It
may involve chemical and physical tests of the material data
of ink, paint, paper, metal, cloth, etc. However, the best
tool in the det~~tion of frauds is the investigator's common
14sense.
Internal criticism deals with the meaning and trust
worthiness of the statements that remain within the document.
It is aimed at evaluating the accuracy oaf the documents
collected. The errors, omissions and additions in documents
in copying, printing, and translation, can be detected by
internal criticism. It is also an important factor in deter-
mining the validity of the data. 15 The research worker must
make use of both internal and external criticism for assess-
ing the reliability of the document. The validity of the
historical facts, can sometime~be verified by comparing them
with the statements of other authors.
Methodology of the present study
The tools and techniques employed in the present study
for the collection of data are (1) primary sources, (2)Second
ary sources, and (3) Interview.
14 George Mouly, ~.cit., po210.
15Ibi~, po212.
31
Primary Source
For the purpose of the present study, the investigator
mainly depended on primary sources. The investigator has
been very fortunate that a good deal of primary sources
were available for this study. The Church Missionary Society
was very careful in maintaining proper records of their .
activities in the different parts of the world. Their acti-
vities ip Kerala also found a prominent place in these
records. They are based on the genUine reports of their
missionaries and are highly reliable as primary sources.
1. The proceedings of the Church Missionary Society for16Africa and the East, published annually from the C.M.S.
headquarters in London (1801-1920) contain much valuable
and reliable information about their missionary activities
in Kerala. The names of missionaries, their stations, growth
and development of educational and evangelical activities,
relation to the native government, and the statistical survey
of their activities are recorded in these reports. Though
they are recorded with enthusiasm, they are not found to be
open to any charge of internal falsehood. Hence they are
used as dependable primary sources for this study.
16proceedings of the Church Missionary Society for Africaand the East. London: Church Missionary House, SalisburySquare, 1801-1925.
32
2. By 1925, 'the Annual Report of th~ Church Missionary,17
took the place of 'The proceedings of the O.M. ~ for Africa
and the East'. But, this change in name did not affect the
contents of the 'reports. Since it was a continuation of the
'proceedings of the C.M.S.' its reliability is unquestionable.
3. Another important primary source used for the study is
the 'Missionary Register,18 from 1816 to 1850. The evangelical
and educational activities of the missionaries, their problems
and places of work, were described in these registers. These
registers are of immense value in recapturing the history ofI
the Protestant missionary activitiew in Kerala as well as in
other parts of the world. They are noted for their accuracy
of observation, faithful presentation of facts and dispoassionatE
and thoughtful analysis of contemporary society, in spite of
the fact that they were written from the point of view of
the missionaries. There is no harm in considering them as
authentic primary sources.
The Church Missionary Intelligencer19 was another
official publication of the CoM.S. in London. It gives a
17AnnUai Reports of the Church Missionary Society. London:Church Missionary Society, Salisbury Square, 1926-1918.
18Missionary Register, London: L.B. Seeley and Son, FleetStreet, 1816-1850.
19The Church Missionary Intelligen~~, London: ChurchMissionary Society, Salibury Square, 1850-1910.
33
fine description of missionary explorations in new stations
and the social and geographical conditions of the regions.
This record is very helpful in getting a proper background
of the scenes of missionary activitieso
The C.M.S. Gazettee20 published by the Church
Missionary Society, in the early decades of the present
century, is another important primary source which throws
much light on missionary activities in the different parts
the world. It also gives some information about the educa-
tional and evangelical activities of the missionaries in
Kerala. Since it is an official pUblication, its validity
and reliability need not be doubted as a primary source.
'TheC.M.S. Mass Mogement Surveys in India21 is another
official publication which gives much information about the
conversion of the backward classes to Christianity and their
education in the C.M.S. schools. The survey is a reliable
record which can be treated as a priwary source.
In addition to the official records and registers
from the C.MoS. Headquarters in London, several publications
20The C.M.S. Gazette, London: Church Miss'ionary House,Salisbury Square, 1910TI920.
21 The C.M.S. Mass Movement Surveys in India, London:Church Missionary House, Salisbury Square, 1918.
34
were made in India from different C.M.S. centres. Among
them, the 'Madras Church Missionary Record~2 has great
importance. This official report of the C.M.S. Madras,
contains a mine of information with regard to the activi-
ties of the South Indian Mission, of which Travancore, and
Cochin formed a part. The reports of the various missionaries
descri~ing their evangelical and educational activities,
as well as their problems and difficulties, were published
in this record. Though the missionary reports were written
in a spirit of admind±atio~li for the missionary enterprise,
their shortcomings were'not concealed. Hence there is no
need for distrusting the reliability of the record.
After the formation of the Diocese of Travancore and
Cochin in 1879, the 'Travancore and Cochin Dioceasan Record,23
was published from Kottayam. This record gives details
regarding the development of C.M.S. educational institutions,
history of schools, biographies of early missionaries,
statistical data of educational and evangelical work etc.
Since it is an official record of the C.M.S. activities in
Kerala free from exaggeration, there is adequate ground to
accept it as a primary source. This record till 1925 was
22Madras Church Missi~y Record, Madras: Office of theChurch Missionary Society, Mount Road, 1834-1878.
23 The Travancore and Cochin Diocesan Recor~. Kottayam:C.M.S. Press, 1879 to 1925.
35
d C hi D· Ma·' :94followed by the 'Travancore an oc n locesan gazlne
published by the C.M.S. Press, Kottayam. Since it was a
continuation of the 'Diocesan Record', it can also be
accepted as a reliable primary source.
C. Mo S. Diary:
The C.M.S. Press, Kottayam, annually publis~its
diary25 furnishing details regarding the C.M.S. educational
and evangelical institutions. The statistical data published
in the diary regarding various educational institutions is a
reliable record. Hence it is utilised as a primary source
for this study.
Letters :,
Letters of missionaries,26 Residents and governmental
authorities have been used as primary sources for the study.
These letters are original and as such, they have great value
as primary sources.
(B~ Secondary Sources
Since it is not possible to obtain primary sources
for the entire period under study, at times secondary sources
24The Travancore and Cochin Diocesan Masazine; Kottayam:C.M.S. Press, 1926-1947.
25C•M• S• Diary, Kottayam: C.M.S. Press, 1916-1979.26 C.S.l
Letters of Missionaries. LBishop's House, Kottayam.
36
have been used to supplement and complement the primary
sources. The gaps in the primary sources are filled in by
making use of secondarysourceso In this connection, a
number of books have been consulted. Some of the books
were written by missionaries while others belonged to non-
missionary authors. The Anglican Church in Travancore and
Cochin27 written by-the C.M.S. missionary, Hunt gives us a
fine description of the C.M.S. activities in Travancore and
Cochin from 1816 to 1916. The author based his study on
C.M.S. missionary records as well as his personal experience
as a missionary in Kerala. Hence the book has great signi-
ficance as a reliable secondary source.
Agur's Church History of Travancore28 is another
important book which helps us a great deal in understanding
the history of the Christian Churches till the beginning of
the present century. The book gives much valuable informa
tion about the C.M.S. Missionary activity in the nineteenth
\ century.
tiThe ~alabar Syrians and the Church Missionary
Society tl29 written by Cheriyan throws much light on the
27W.S.Hunt. The Anglican Church in Travancore and Cochin.Kottayam: O.M.S. Press, 1933.
28C.M.Agur, Church History of Travancore, Madras: S.PoB.Press, Veperoy, 1903.
29P.Cheriyan, The Malabar Syrians and the Church MissionarySociety, Kottayam: C.M.S. Press, 1935.
37
'C.M.S. Mission of Help' to the Syrians of Kerala. The
author, a learned judge, quoted a large number of primary
documents to substantiate his view-point. So this work is
a dependable secondary source.
Eira Dalton, the only C.M.S. Missionary who has
settled permanently at Kottayam, wrote two books on C.M.S.
activities in Kerala. The first book 'Fellow Workers with
God,30 gives a brief history of the C.M.S. in Kerala. The
second book 'The Baker Family in India,31 gives fine descri
ptions of the activities of Henry Baker (Senior) and his
successors in the family, in the educational and evangelical
fields of Kerala. As a C.M.S. missionary, who has been working
in Kerala for many years, her accounts are highly reliable.
The famous 'Christian Researches 32 in Asia, by Claudius
Buchanan, 'Native Life in Travancore33 and 'The Land of
Charity34 by Samuel Mateer, the L.M.S. Missionary, also help us
30Eira Dalton, Fellow Workers with God, Kottayam: C.M.S.Press, 1966.
31Eira Dalton. The Baker Family in India, Kottayam: C.M.S.Press, 1963.
32Claudius Buchanan, Christian Researches in Asia, London:Cambridge University Press, 1811.
33samuel Mateer, Native Life in Travancore, London: JohnSnow and Company, 1881. -
34Samuel Mateer, Land of Charity, London: John Snow andCompany, 1871.
38
a great deal in understanding the condition of Kerala on
the eve of the arrival of the Protestant missionaries.
The periodical missionary conferences both at
international and all-India level, besides many regional
ones, have produced extensive reports* of pertinent infor
mation. As these reports were from experts who narrated
from the~r personal experiences in the fields
credi"'b1.11-1Jtyt,,r was sound enough to us e as a reliable
source.
Moreover, the souvenirs published by various C.M.S.
churches and schools have been oonsulted. The Triple
Jubilee
Jubilee
35Souvenir of the C.M.S., the Gnananikshepam
Supplement, 36 Ba~ley _ Gnananikshepam Souvenir etc. 3e
were the official publications and hence they have great
value as more than secondary sources. The various C.M.S.
pUblications from Kottayam like Gnananikshe am38 Churohman's
Friend39 etco were also also used as reliable sources for
this study.
*Reports of Various Missionary Conferences are kept atthe library of the C.S.l. Bishop, Kottayamo
35 C•M. So Triple Jubilee Souvenir, Kottayam:C.M.SPress,lS66.
36Gnananikshepam Jubilee Supplement 1970-71, Kottayam:C.M.S.Press, 1971.
37Gnananikshepam, Bailey Jubilee Souvenir, Kottayam:C.M.S.Press, 1973.38Gnananikshep~Kottayam: CoM.S.Press le48~1979.
39 Chuch Man's Friend, Kottayam: C.M.S. Press, Vol. IX, 1929.
.'
39
The printed government documents, Travancore state
Manual,40 Cochin state Manual,41 District Gazetteers,42
Administration Reports of' + ; Travancore,43 etc. were also
used as dependable sources' for the study.
All these sources, both primary and secondary, have
been examined very carefully, sUbjecting them to internal
and external criticism. In the missionary reports and
other publications, the investig~or sometimes. noted a
sort of missionary rhetoric which overestimates the results
of their activitieso In order to overcome such shortcomings
and to make the study more objective and impartial, the
investigator has quoted the views of non-missionary sources.
Their statements have been compared and contrasted with the
missionary reports and records to arrive at the conclusions.
Thus the greatest care has been taken to make the study
highly objective and impartial.
40V• Nagam Aiya, Travancore state Manu~, Trivandrum:Government Press, 1906.
41 C• Achutha Menon,Cochin State Manual, Ernakulam:Cochin Government Press, 1911.
42 A• Sreedhara Menon, District Gazeteers, Trivandrum;Government Press, 1962.
43Travancore Administration Reports. Trivandrum: Govt.Press,1926-1947.
40
(c) Interview
Since it is not possible to collect all relevant
details by historical method alone, the investigator made
us e of the int erview to supplement it. "Int erview as a
research tool is, in a sense, an oral questionnaire whereby
the needed information is gathered in a face to face
situation. But, the dynamics of interviewing t volve '
much more than an oral questionnaire~. It is based on a
process of communication between the interviewer and the
interviewee or the respondent. A good interview is based
on proper motivation provided by the interviewer to the
respondent in the form of achieving some satisfaction in
the psychological climate of the interview itself. The
interviewer has a set of carefully prepared questions to
serve as a thread of conversation. The ~ntergiew is
relatively a more flexible tool than any other written
enquiry form and permits explana~ion, adjustment, and
variation according to the situati0n. 44
With a skilful interviewer, the interview is often
superior to other data~gathering devices. 0ne reason is
that people are more willing to talk than to write,
especially on intimate confidential topics. The purpose
and meaning of questions can be explained to get valid
44 S. P• SUkhia, P.V. Mehrotra and R.N.Mehrotra.Elements of Educational Research, Bombay: Allied Publishers.Second edition, 1966, p.127.
41
responses. It is also possible to seek the same information
in several ways at various stages of the interview, thus
providing a check on the truthfulness of the responses.
The interview as a technique for gathering data has
its own limitations. "This technique is time-consuming.-
and one of the most difficult one's to employ successfully.
There is constant danger of interview bias. It requires
a level of expertness in the interviewer not ordinarily
possessed by inexperienced researchers. The objectivity,
ihsight and sensitivity of the interviewer are crucial to
any interview".45
As far as this study is concerned, every effort was
made to minimise these limitations. The investigator
interviewed three C.S.I. Bishops, (M.M.John, T.B.Benjamin
and T.S.Joseph) two former principals of the C.M.S. College,
Kottayam, most of the headmasters of C.M.S. High Schools,
Manager, C.MoS.Schools, heads of other CoM.So institutions,
and several distinguished old students of C.M.S. schools,
like KoP.So Menon, the former Indian Ambassador in Russia,
and George Jacob, the former Chairman of the University
Grants Commission, Delhi. They were most helpful in
furnishing very useful information for this study. Above
all, Eira Dalton, the C.M.S. missionary at Kottayam gave
45Ibid ., p. 137.
42
very valuable information on the various aspects of this
investigation. The investigator waS very careful to see
that his personal bias should not in any way influence
interviewees in giving proper responses .
•